Business owner locked Verizon worker in underground vault, police say

Howard Cook facing kidnapping, larceny charges

The owner of Westboro Self Storage on Research Drive is facing kidnapping and larceny charges after allegedly locking a Verizon worker in an underground vault during an argument Monday afternoon, police said.

Westborough Police Chief Alan Gordon said Tuesday morning that a Verizon technician called police just before 3:30 p.m. Monday to report he was locked inside an underground vault at the intersection of Research Drive and Connector Road, the MetroWest Daily News reported.

The responding officer found that large rocks had been piled on the cover of the vault to prevent the worker from exiting, Gordon said.

The technician told police he was working inside the vault when a man started yelling down at him before removing the ladder from the vault and barricading the cover, Gordon said.

Police identified the suspect as Howard W. Cook, 71, of 12 Chestnut St., Westborough, and mediated the dispute, which began because Cook was upset that the Verizon worker parked on the grass at his business, Westboro Self Storage.

Cook was not arrested at the time, but the Verizon employee called police later Monday asking for assistance finding his personal keys around the location at which he was working that afternoon. Police placed a call to Cook, who admitted he took the keys from the Verizon vehicle, but refused to return them to the technician, Gordon said.

An officer retrieved the keys from Cook’s vehicle, which was parked at his Chestnut Street home, police said.

Cook will be summoned to Westborough District Court on charges of kidnapping, breaking and entering in a vehicle during the daytime, receiving stolen property and larceny under $250, Gordon said.

A spokesman for Verizon was not able to provide a statement Monday and could not immediately be reached Tuesday morning.

Gordon told the Daily News on Tuesday that no injuries were reported after the technician was freed, but that the vault is airtight and the Verizon worker may have “quickly run out of oxygen” if he had not been able to contact police.

Gordon also noted that Research Drive is a state highway, so Verizon vehicles have to park on surrounding properties in order to access their vaults.